Mistletoe
by josiemausconn
Summary: It's two days before Christmas, and the NCIS gang gets a case. The time is so close to the holidays, and everyone is getting a bit festive. But when Abby hangs up that traditional sprig of mistletoe, sparks fly for the agents. McAbby and Tiva at the end! Sorry wrote this a while ago, I liked the storyline and wanted to post. Don't like don't read.
1. Chapter 1

**NCIS: Mistletoe**

It was the two days before Christmas. A naval officer had driven to Washington D.C. for Christmas to visit his mother and sister. He walked into the house, carrying a small suitcase and duffel bag. The officer's older sister raced at him holding two small glasses of red wine. She hugged him tightly, spilling her glass on the tile floor. Embarrassed, she handed the second glass to her brother. He gratefully accepted it, tired after his long journey and drained it in one sip. The petty officer's mother swooped down for a hug, and the officer returned it happily—for a moment. After a quick squeeze, he fell, limp to the ground, his breathing stopped. The two women screamed.

In the NCIS office, Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo was sitting at his computer working furiously. Across from his desk, Special Agent Ziva David sat at her desk, watching him carefully. Special Agent Timothy McGee was at his desk, deep in thought.

"Tony?" asked Ziva.

"_What_ Ziva? I'm kind of busy right now!"

"Ohh?" Ziva said, eyebrows raised. She walked slowly towards his desk, clad in a grey suit.

"Hey!" snapped DiNozzo. "This is private!"

Ziva laughed and walked over to McGee.

"McGee," she whispered.

"Yeah?" he whispered back, confused.

"Hack onto Tony's computer," said Ziva. McGee took a double take.

"Why?" he replied.

"Just do it." Ziva retorted. McGee hesitated, but then started typing furiously. A degree at MIT College worked wonders for him and the office, as he was their technology geek. Images started appearing on McGee's computer, and bugs appeared on DiNozzo's.

"Oh no! McGeek, help! I'm being hacked!" DiNozzo jumped out of his seat, his hands on his head, an expression of horror plastered on his face. Ziva snorted. DiNozzo snapped his attention towards her, and lowered his hands slowly.

"You little!"

"Dating website," said McGee quickly.

"Ha!" Ziva said.

DiNozzo cocked his head and laughed, very falsely.

"You got me," he rolled his eyes.

"Why does Anthony DiNozzo, king of dates, need help finding one?" asked Ziva, gleeful that she found out.

"Holidays." DiNozzo said simply.

"But—"

"Gear up!" said the crew's boss, Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs.

"Yes boss!" said DiNozzo quickly.

"Dead officer," Gibbs said.

"Yes boss!" repeated DiNozzo. Ziva, DiNozzo, and McGee grabbed their bags and followed Gibbs out the door, used to the routine.

"Petty officer George Layen. Died last night after driving from Florida to visit his family for the holidays." Gibbs told Ziva, DiNozzo and McGee. McGee pulled out an NCIS camera and snapped rapid pictures of the body from various angles. The officer's body laid in front of the front door, no sign of death, except for he wasn't breathing.

"Cute guy," said Ziva.

"Well I hear he's got a sister…" said DiNozzo.

"DiNozzo! David!" said Gibbs

"On it boss. No bullet or stab wounds," pointed out DiNozzo. Ziva snapped on a pair of latex gloves and pulled back the man's collar.

"No sign of strangulation either."

"Because he died in the sight of his family." Gibbs said.

"Right boss," said DiNozzo.

"Then I'm guessing poison," said Ziva.

"Most likely." Gibbs said.

"Where's his mother?" asked McGee. "And sister?"

"Upstairs." Gibbs said. "I'm having them wait there until I can get a chance to interrogate them."

"I'll do it!" offered DiNozzo anxiously. Ziva made eye contact with Gibbs and furiously shook her head 'no.'

"Ok DiNozzo," agreed Gibbs. Ziva glared. "You can do the mother. McGee, take the sister."


	2. Chapter 2

"Good morning, Mrs. Layen," greeted DiNozzo. The woman's face was red from crying and her eyes were puffy, giving a sign that she didn't get much if any sleep. She was crying, holding a handkerchief to her eyes.

"How is it good?" she sobbed.

"Let me rephrase that. Hello, Mrs. Layen." DiNozzo said.

"Well?"

"Umm…okay. First of all, I am very sorry about your son's death. But, I have to ask you a few questions," muttered DiNozzo, working for a 'good cop, bad cop' interrogation.

The woman nodded.

"Full name?"

"Mary Elise Layen."

"Do you know if your son had any enemies?"

"Y-yes actually. H-he did." Mrs. Layen stuttered.

"Can you tell me who?" asked DiNozzo.

"No."

"Why?" snapped DiNozzo.

"Because I don't know their names. George would j-just c-call me sometimes a-about problems h-he was having a-a-at work…"

"Oh. Okay. Do you think the problems he was having was bad enough for someone to murder him?"

"No…I-I don't think so…it was m-mainly teasing b-because he was new and in-inexperienced." Mrs. Layen said in between sobs.

"Alright…alright. Last question okay?" DiNozzo asked; she nodded.

"Did anyone have a chance to poison him? Did he take a taxi home?"

"I-I don't know…."

"Okay. Thank you Mrs. Layen." DiNozzo said, giving up on the bad cop idea. "Thank you."

"Hello?" McGee knocked on the door that the dead officer's sister was waiting in.

"Y-yes sir. Come in." McGee opened the door slowly. She was very beautiful, with long, wavy, flowing blonde hair and bright, sea blue eyes. McGee sat down on an armchair across from her.

"Might I ask you for your full name?" asked McGee. The girl, about twenty-five, was crying slightly and nodded.

"Megan Mary Layen…you?"

"U? As in an initial?" asked McGee.

"No, _you_. What's _your_ full name?"

"Oh. Oh! Special Agent Timothy McGee," he said. Megan nodded again.

"Thanks."

"S-sure…" said McGee. "Ahem. Well I need to ask you a few questions." Megan breathed in and tried to smile.

"Y-yeah. I-I guess."

"Great. Do you know any of your brother's friends? Did he have any enemies?" McGee asked her calmly.

"I-I don't know. Well, I know of one person who would have loved to kill George."

"Who?" McGee said, interested.

"Michael Arbiet. A marine sergeant. He and George go way back. But then, Michael's girlfriend cheated on him with George, so he hated him. Michael says he'll never have another girlfriend until George was taken care of." Megan sputtered.

"Thanks. Now, did you have a good relationship with your brother?" asked McGee.

"Well, I loved him very, very much. He was a great little brother. But he never liked me very much. He always tried to ruin what…what little times in my life that I enjoyed. He…he was mean to me a lot. Now that he is…he _was_…and adult, he was rich, although I never knew how." Megan explained.

"Oh okay." McGee stood up, his eyes not leaving hers, and backed out of the room. "Th-thanks!"


	3. Chapter 3

Gibbs walked into Abby Scuito's lab after going to investigate the crime scene. Upon nearing the lab, he heard Christmas carols being played, remixed into heavy metal.

"Abs! Abs! Abs!" Gibbs yelled over the music.

"Gibbs! Merry almost Christmas! Well, technically it would be Merry Christmas Eve, because Christmas Eve is a little more than 'almost' close to Christmas, don't you think?" Abby asked. Her dark black hair was in low pigtails tied in black ribbons. She wore a red shirt with a large skull wearing a Santa hat on it, with a green plaid skirt and chunky black combat boots to match her spiky dog collar necklace.

"Abs…" Gibbs steps into her lab and shakes a Caf-Pow! in her face. Abby rushes over and kisses Gibbs on the cheek, leaving a bright lipstick mark. Seeing Gibbs' face, she points to the mistletoe above her door.

"First person to trigger my trap!" laughed Abby. "But don't tell anyone! It'll ruin the surprise and the whole point of the trap thing—"

"Abs!"

"Right, sorry. What do I have. Well I ran the smashed wine glass that you sent up earlier and there were two different prints on it. One belonged to the petty officer himself, the other to his sister." Abby said.

"Figures." Gibbs hands the Caf-Pow! to Abby and turns to walk out of her lab.

"Wait! I have more! I know how he was killed!" Abby called to Gibbs.

"Well why didn't you just say that!" said Gibbs, walking back to Abby. She sipped her Caf-Pow! and smiled.

"In the glass, I found traces of cyanide. Therefore, he was murdered, by someone poisoning his wine. Now you don't have to wait for Ducky to do an autopsy!" Abby said excitedly.

"Thanks. Good work Abs." Gibbs said and walked out the door, careful to avoid the mistletoe. Abby smirked.

"Cyanide poisoning," Gibbs told the other agents. "In the wine."

"Of course," said DiNozzo, hardly listening, on the computer. "Come on! There is absolutely no one available for the holiday season!" Gibbs walks up to him and slaps him on the back of the head.

"Right boss." DiNozzo jumps up.

"McGee! Go up to Abby's lab and work on getting information about the sergeant Michael Arbeit." Gibbs ordered.

"Already on it boss." McGee said. Gibbs turned around to face the computer screen on the wall. McGee had up an FBI search site and he typed in MICHAEL ARBEIT.

"No matches!" exclaimed McGee.

"Try a different spelling."

"Still nothing!"

"The girl must've been lying," said Gibbs, angry.

"Hey! She might not have known!" DiNozzo protested. "Cute chicks don't lie."

"McGee! Go up to Abby's lab and ask her to do a search for him." Gibbs commanded.

"One second!" McGee answered, as he was still working at his own computer.

"DiNozzo!"

"On it boss!" DiNozzo jumped up and walked towards Abby's lab, sticking his tongue out at McGee as he passed.


	4. Chapter 4

"Abby we need you to—" started DiNozzo.

"Tony!" Abby ran towards him and pecked him on the cheek.

"What was that for?" asked DiNozzo.

"Mistletoe!" explained Abby, pointing up.

"Ahh." DiNozzo said, and once Abby's back was turned he rubbed his cheek furiously with the back of his hand to get the lipstick off.

"So what do you need?"

"We need you to do a search for Michael Arbeit, a so-called marine sergeant. McGee's computer got nothing." DiNozzo said.

"Sure!" Abby whirled around to face her precious computer and typed in the name.

"Anything?" asked DiNozzo impatiently.

"Yes! Michael Arbeit, a former marine sergeant!" exclaimed Abby.

"Where was his corps' base?" questioned DiNozzo, excitedly.

"Um…Nevada." Abby said, still typing.

"Nevada? Then how could he know George Layen?" DiNozzo wondered aloud.

"Don't know. But hey! Look, this guy's got a criminal record!" Abby said. "Bank robberies in various states…home break-ins…and wow! Double homicide!"

"Yuck," said DiNozzo. "Did he ever get caught?"

"Yup. Once. For a home break-in," said Abby. "Here, look! For a few crimes he had a partner! His ex-wife!"

"Name?" snapped DiNozzo.

"Megan Layen! Does that have anything to do with your—" started Abby. But when she turned around, DiNozzo was gone.

"Michael Arbeit is a real person!" exclaimed DiNozzo, dashing down the steps up to Gibbs. "He's Megan Layen's ex-husband! And he has a criminal record!"

"Great work Abby," muttered Gibbs.

"What about me?" asked DiNozzo. Gibbs walked over and head-slapped him.

"There you go." Gibbs left the room abruptly, and Ziva, McGee, and DiNozzo followed him.

"Where we going, boss?" asked DiNozzo.

"To the Layen's house." Gibbs answered.

"I'll drive," offered Ziva.

"No!" said McGee, DiNozzo and Gibbs in unison.

"I'll drive," said Gibbs.

"Fine." Ziva said as she slid into the back seat with McGee.


	5. Chapter 5

"Mrs. Layen?" Gibbs knocked on the door.

"Mary?" asked DiNozzo. No answer.

"DiNozzo!"

"On it," said DiNozzo. He pulled out his gun and kicked down the door. McGee, Gibbs, and Ziva had their guns out also, and they followed DiNozzo inside. Ziva walked through the living room.

"Clear," she called.

"Clear," said McGee from upstairs.

"In here!" called Gibbs. The agents ran into the kitchen and they saw Gibbs standing over the dead body of Mary Elise Layen.

"Stabbed in the heart. Died almost immediately." Gibbs said. "Call Ducky."

"Hey, Duck! We need you." DiNozzo said into his cell phone. He gave the address and hung up.

"He'll be here in ten minutes." DiNozzo said.

"Thanks," said Gibbs. McGee was photographing the stab wound. The knife was still stuck in the body, blood pouring out. Gibbs walked around the kitchen. He noticed blood on the walls, and soapy water in the sink.

"She must've been washing dishes when someone snuck up behind her and stabbed her." Gibbs thought out-loud. Ziva nodded. DiNozzo dusted the handle of the knife for fingerprints. He shook his head.

"None."

"C'mere, look at this," said McGee. He pointed to a pair of latex gloves on the granite countertop.

"Could be from Mrs. Layen," said DiNozzo, happy to prove McGee wrong.

"No, Tony, look here. Mrs. Layen has dishpan hands. It means she was washing the dishes without gloves on." McGee pointed out. DiNozzo made a face at McGee.

"McGee's right, DiNozzo," said Gibbs.

"Thank you boss." McGee said, pulling out an evidence bag and putting the gloves in the bag.

"I really didn't want to spend my Christmas Eve this way," muttered DiNozzo. "I imagined myself to be at some fancy restaurant with a beautiful girl…sipping wine, seeing each other's faces lit up by candles…"

"We all would love that, now wouldn't we Tony?" asked Ducky, who had just entered the house. Palmer was right next to him. He had a bright red lipstick mark on his left cheek.

"Palmer?" asked McGee. He pointed to his cheek.

"Ohh…" Palmer blushed. "Abby."

"Abby?" McGee said, shocked.

"Yeah, her Christmas mistletoe. Haven't you 'sprung her trap' yet?" asked Palmer.

"No!" McGee said. Then, under his breath, he muttered: "Mistletoe. Mistletoe!"

"I'm here Jethro. What do you need?" inquired Ducky.

"The mother of our victim was now murdered." Gibbs said. Ducky bent down to examine Mrs. Layen.

"Hmm…about sixty-five years old, died approximately a half an hour ago; her body's still warm." Ducky felt her face and arms while he said this.

"She must have been stabbed with her own knife. The knife holder on the counter here is missing a knife, and the handles match." Ziva said. Gibbs walked over to the front door.

"The lock isn't broken, and the only signs of damage are the ones we made. The person who murdered her must have already been in the house!" Gibbs said.

"The upstairs was clear though…" said McGee.

"Right. Maybe they have a basement, McGee!" Gibbs snapped.

"On it boss!" McGee ran out of the kitchen in search of a basement.

"Do you know whodunit Jethro?" asked Ducky.

"Nope." Gibbs said. "But I have an idea,"

"Who?" DiNozzo questioned.

"The girl."

"Megan?"

"Yup." But before they could get any farther in their conversation, they heard a gunshot from downstairs.

"C'mon Ziva! DiNozzo, stay with Ducky and Palmer!"


	6. Chapter 6

Gibbs and Ziva carefully found the entrance to the basement. Guns out and pointed, they descended the stairs to see McGee, at the foot of the stairs, his hands clutched a bloody wound on his leg.

"McGee!" exclaimed Ziva. She ran to him and pulled some bandages from inside her coat.

"What happened?" demanded Gibbs.

"M-Megan…" gasped McGee.

"Megan? She was here? She shot you?" asked Ziva. McGee nodded and Gibbs ran into the basement. After looking around, he swore.

"She's gone now. She must've broken this window." Gibbs said.

"I-I know." McGee said. "I tried to stop her…but she shot me."

"It's okay McGee." Ziva said. "Let's get you back to NCIS."

"Ziva! I called for McGee!" said Abby. Only a moment ago did she call McGee's cell phone and asked for him to come up. The field agents had just arrived back from the Layen's house.

"He can't come up Abby."

"Why?"

"He was shot in the leg." Ziva said.

"Oh no! Is Timmy okay?" wondered Abby.

"He'll be fine." Ziva assured her.

"Oh. Here Ziva," Abby handed Ziva a vase full of black, red and green roses, "your Christmas present. I'm sorry it's not much, but I couldn't think of what to get anyone."

"They're beautiful, Abby. Thank you." Ziva admired the flowers.

"Thank you! Gibbs and DiNozzo pretty much got the same thing." Abby said, and handed Ziva two more vases full of the oddly colored roses.

"Oof!" said Ziva, struggling to carry all the flowers. "Hey…what about McGee?"

"Oh, he's not much of a flower person…." said Abby, a small smile on her face.

"Okay…" Ziva stumbled out of the lab.

Once Ziva got downstairs, she saw that DiNozzo and Gibbs were both gone. McGee was sitting at his desk, his leg on it.

"McGee? Where did they go? I have Abby's Christmas presents for them!" asked Ziva.

"They're chasing Megan. They've tracked her cell phone." McGee said.

"Without me?"

"I guess. Hey, did Abby give you my Christmas present?" asked McGee.

"No. She said you weren't much of a flower person." Ziva said.

"I love flowers!" McGee protested.

"Well, she really wanted you to come up, so she was disappointed when I came." Ziva explained.

"I probably should go up there then." McGee noted. He swung his heavily bandaged leg off the desk and onto the floor. Then he started walking up to Abby's office. After a few steps, he stumbled.

"Let me help you," Ziva rushed over and swung her arm around his shoulders. Together they walked up to Abby's office.


	7. Chapter 7

"Abby? I brought you a visitor!" called Ziva.

"Yayy! McGee!" Abby rushed over and squeezed McGee tightly.

"Woah Abs! Cool it." McGee said. "I've just been shot."

"I'm sorry McGee." Abby apologized. Ziva walked him a little farther into the lab.

"Merry Christmas Abs—" McGee began. But before he could finish, Abby ran at him and kissed him full on the lips. Ziva smirked, let go of McGee's shoulders and snuck out of the room. When Abby let go of McGee, he stared at her.

"Wha—why—I—" he stammered.

"Mistletoe…" whispered Abby, obviously disappointed in his reaction. But then McGee grabbed her and kissed her, more in-to-it than last time. Abby returned the kiss and the two stood there kissing with much gusto. Suddenly Director Vance walked silently into Abby's lab. When he saw the couple lip-locked, he raised his eyebrows and back quietly out of the room.

"Megan Layen. Might I ask where you were approximately two hours ago?" asked DiNozzo. They had Megan Layen handcuffed in the interrogation room. DiNozzo was doing the interrogation and Gibbs was watching.

"I told you, I was at my mom's house." Megan said vaguely.

"What happened?" DiNozzo questioned.

"I was upstairs when suddenly I heard a scream. I ran downstairs and found my mother…lying there, in the kitchen, dead."

"Oh?" said DiNozzo. "Are you sure that you weren't downstairs, then ran _upstairs, _caused the scream, and _then _found your mother dead? Your causing?"

"Alright alright. Sure, I killed my mom. And my…and my brother." Megan confessed suddenly. DiNozzo looked taken back.

"Ohh."

"Boss!" Ziva entered the observation room quietly.

"Yeah?"

"Abby ran the latex gloves we found. There were prints inside the fingers and guess who they belonged to?" Ziva said.

"Oh no, not the guessing game! You've spent too much time with Abby," muttered Gibbs.

"Sorry boss," apologized Ziva. "The prints matched Michael Arbeit's! Megan didn't kill her mom." Gibbs rushed out of the room and into the interrogation room. He banged his fist on the table.

"You're lying. You did not kill your mother. Why are you covering for Michael?" snapped Gibbs. DiNozzo backed up. Megan started crying—real tears.

"C'mon sweetie," said DiNozzo without thinking. Gibbs glared at him. "I mean, tell us what you know and we'll put in a good word with the judge. Tell us why you're covering for your ex, tell us where we can find him. Tell us who killed your brother."

"I-I killed George. I'm really sorry, I had to. Michael was blackmailing me. He kidnapped me. I had no money, he…he said he was going to kill my mom if I didn't pay him. Then he did, and he said he was g-going to kill me!" Megan sobbed. "I killed George only because Michael forced me to. He s-said that by k-k-killing him, we…_he_…could collect George's fortune a-and I'd be free."

"Is that the truth?" demanded Gibbs.

"Yes…yes sir. The truth and only the truth."

"I believe her boss," said DiNozzo, his eyes not leaving Megan. Gibbs ignored him.

"Why did you shoot McGee?"

"So Michael could escape with out you finding h-him!" explained Megan.

"Where can we find him then? Where is Michael Arbeit hiding out?" asked Gibbs.

"T-try my mother's house," Megan stuttered. Gibbs grabbed DiNozzo and they walked out of the room, leaving Megan alone.

The team walked into the Layen's house for the third time on that late Christmas Eve. DiNozzo, gun out, knocked down the door and they all raced inside, guns pointed. They heard a clatter coming from upstairs, and they rushed up. Michael Arbeit was in the second bedroom, packing bundles of money into his back. Sticking out of his back pocket was a gun.

"Hands on your head!" shouted Gibbs. Michael whirled around, and pulled the gun out from his pocket.

"Drop the weapon!" demanded DiNozzo. Michael pulled the trigger twice, but the agents dodged the bullets. Gibbs immediately shot at Michael; he dodged them. Then DiNozzo shot at Michael's hand, and it hit. Michael dropped the gun automatically, and Ziva scooped down to pick it up. Gibbs grabbed Michael and hand-cuffed him. Together they pulled Michael out to the NCIS van.


	8. Chapter 8

"It's almost nine o'clock at night, and I still haven't found a date for Christmas!" exclaimed DiNozzo. Ziva glanced at him from her desk.

"Hey, I just realized that we haven't seen McGee in hours! Where is he?" DiNozzo muttered.

"He, unlike you, has found a date for this holiday season," Ziva explained.

"Who? What's wrong with her?" gasped DiNozzo.

"Nothing's wrong with the girl." Ziva said.

"Than who is it?" demanded DiNozzo.

"None other than Abby Scuito." Ziva said, and she smirked.

"What? Again?" asked DiNozzo.

"Yup. It all started with the mistletoe." Ziva said.

"They're together again?"

"Yup," said Ziva. "Been upstairs kissing for quite a while now…"

"Ziva…" started DiNozzo.

"Yeah?" Ziva said.

"Will you be my Christmas date?" DiNozzo murmured, sheepish. Ziva slowly stood up from her chair and walked over to DiNozzo.

"Honestly?"

"Y-yes." DiNozzo whispered. Ziva stepped around his desk and sat delicately on his lap. Their heads leaned closer and then their lips locked tightly together, as if they could never be broken apart. At that moment, Abby and McGee stepped out of the elevator, their hands held tightly together. They spotted DiNozzo and Ziva, tightly embraced, and smiled.

"Merry Christmas, Tiva." Abby whispered. Ziva unlocked her lips from DiNozzo's.

"Merry Christmas, McAbby." Both couple smiled, before locking lips once more.

THE END


End file.
